SHE began the season as Souths' rock in defence, but now as the two blues push to make the women's Premier League Hockey finals Nikki Thurtell will act as one of their offensive weapons.
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Last Saturday as underdogs Lithgow Zig Zag held Souths scoreless in the first half, the pressure built on the Bathurst outfit.
It was Thurtell who blasted in the equaliser from a penalty corner, perfectly placing the ball in the bottom left corner between defender and goalkeeper.
Then in the final quarter, it was Thurtell who gave Souths the lead as her desperation in a goal mouth scramble paid off.
Certainly Souths coach Chris Stafford was happy to have her in attack.
"We need goals. She got taken back to defence at the start of the year because we wanted strength and experience at the back," he said of Thurtell.
"Now that some of the younger girls - like Charlize Fitzpatrick played a full game today in defence - because some of them have stepped up through the year it means we can release some of those experienced players back to where they feel more confident."
READ MORE: Souths wears down a gritty Lithgow Zig Zag
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Souths went on to win 3-1, as not only Thurtell, but other two blues adjusted to different positions.
"We were missing a few so there were a lot of players in positions they haven't played at all this year, but everyone adapted," Stafford said.
"It's not as good as we know we can play, but we still came away with the win. You've got to be happy with that."
Souths face another must win match this Saturday against Orange CYMS in Orange and no doubt Thurtell will be looking to strike once more.
